Set in Puritan Boston, The Scarlet Letter tells the disturbing tale of Hester Prynne, a woman caught in the conflict between the Puritan ethics of her community and the higher law of her own love. In this tragic tale, we see the struggle between the laws of scripture and those of a different moral authority.

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Listener Opinions

Janiea | 2/16/2014

" For some reason I will always love this book. Maybe it's the Scandal! "

Lynn | 2/7/2014

" I read this twice: once in high school and once in college. It is a cornerstone of U.S. literature; if you've not read it yet, you should, simply because it is used so much in other writing. It is interesting to see the hypocrisy in a "puritanical" society. There is much of that in this country still, though subtler in many ways, in my opinion, but I do believe that as a society overall we are becoming more accepting of our own foibles and learning to relax some mores while beginning to concentrate on what really matters--how we interact with each other everyday: respectfully, with appreciation and gratitude. "

Kenton Hummel | 2/3/2014

" Nathaniel Hawthorne was a very interesting style on the Scarlet Letter. His imagery was used very nicely. However I did not like the storyline and the larger vocabulary that he used. It was sometimes hard to follow the book because of the deep storyline. I would not read this book on my own but I enjoyed the symbolism and messages that it delivered. "

Earl John | 1/1/2014

" The story deals with adultery and sin, a subject that isn't that popular these days. This book is very challenging. "

Jean | 10/7/2013

" Starts brilliantly and as the ploy unfold the heroine is wonderful. Draws slowly in the middle and completes well. Beautifully written as is typical of books of this era. Not for people who do not like older forms of writing. "

Sonia | 9/24/2013

" An all time favorite. Love the writing style. Love the story (in a sad/depressing sort of way). Love the depth of the characters. "

Jacque | 8/28/2013

" A lot of people told me this book was depressing but I found it to be interesting and while maybe not uplifting still inspirational. "

Michele | 5/16/2013

" Read several times in school. Stuck with me. Great illustration of the evil of bias and hypocrisy. I have experienced being an outsider to some extent my whole life. So, I think that's why this one is important to me. "

Tania | 4/23/2013

" This book...I think that...oh well I just plain did not like it, that's all. "

" It is simply one of the classics that is consistently referenced to this day. It was scandalous in it's time - not so much in our time - but it's truths are relevant just add relevant now. "

Anna M | 6/5/2012

" Though some people may find the descriptive language hard to follow, I really liked the book, and I got into the story, though there was not much dialogue in some parts. "

Carol Hassett | 5/17/2012

" Took me months to read this boo, thought it dragged terribly. "

Elisa | 2/23/2012

" Lasting message and story, me gusta. "

Ephraim Hottel | 12/11/2011

" This book was like reading the bible the writing was very hard to understand and read at the same time. But the story line of the book was not bad. "

Ghada | 10/2/2011

" the author is genius and have high sense and had describe the actions in a creative way "

Sanja Aisha | 9/17/2011

" "In short, unpleasant as was my predicament at best, I saw much reason to congratulate myself that I was on the loosing side , rather than the triumphant one. . . "

Olivia | 6/6/2011

" The symbolism! Holy moly! You could read this book a thousand times and never get bored! "

Kristy | 5/22/2011

" I enjoyed this substantially more when I read it again after I was required to read it in high school. Hawthorne makes liberal use of the comma - just ignore them and it flows much better. ;)
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Rebecca | 5/22/2011

" You know, surprisingly I liked this book when I read it in high school. For all the rap I heard about it, I thought I wouldn't like it. But I felt that the characters were real. And wasn't there a twist-up in the end? I don't remember . ..it's been so long! =)
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Dav8d777 | 5/21/2011

" Read for school. Painful as all hell.
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Nisha | 5/21/2011

" I've always enjoyed this book because I find something new to focus on every time I read it. This time around was the contemplation of Chillingworth's moral decline.
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Katie.bloomfield | 5/18/2011

" As most people, I had to read this for a high school English class. This book is a classic and I actually enjoyed reading it and found the messages is conveyed interesting.
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Maddie | 5/16/2011

" Read for Abrams junior year AP English...really enjoyed it.
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Geneal | 5/13/2011

" I appreciate this book more as an adult reader than I did in high school. It is intriguing for many reasons. The hypocrisy of piety rings through the pages. That scarlet "A" is such a unique symbol. Always a good read!
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Becca | 5/11/2011

" I read this book in high school and could not put it down. I learned so much about the colonial/puritan period from reading it. I am looking forward to rereading as an older adult and finding out how much my perspective has changed.
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Huma | 5/11/2011

" I hated this book. So much. :| I hate Hawthorne in general.
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Chole | 5/10/2011

" It was written very long ago and to understand the writing took a little while. But good book
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Other Titles by Nathaniel Hawthorne:

About the Author

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864) was born in Salem, Massachusetts, and made his ambition to be a writer while still a teenager. He graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine, where the poet Longfellow was also a student, and spent several years traveling in New England and writing short stories before his best known novel, The Scarlet Letter, was published in 1850. His writing was not at first financially rewarding, and he worked as measurer and surveyor in the Boston and Salem Custom Houses. In 1853 he was sent to Liverpool as American consul and then lived in Italy before returning to the United States in 1860, where he died in his sleep four years later.

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